Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Minister for Business Paul Kirby provides an update on efforts to attract skilled workers to the Territory

Transcript

Minister for Business Paul Kirby provides an update on efforts to attract skilled workers to the Territory · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And we know that territory businesses are being provided with
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  Speaker 1: a number of opportunities to help build their businesses by
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  Speaker 1: attracting more workers. It is part of the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: government's twelve point eight million dollar workforce boost package. It
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  Speaker 1: is hope that a global workforce campaign and grants for
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  Speaker 1: business solutions will help to attract skilled workers. Now joining
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  Speaker 1: me on the line for a very quick chat this
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  Speaker 1: morning is Paul Kirby, who is indeed the Minister for
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  Speaker 1: Business and various other portfolios. Good morning to Paul Kirby.
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  Speaker 2: How are you going, Katie?
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  Speaker 1: Very well? Now, how are efforts going in attracting workers
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  Speaker 1: to the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we know the territory is running pretty high at
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  Speaker 2: the moment. You only have to look around town and
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  Speaker 2: up and down attract There's a lot of people around
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  Speaker 2: and you know, businesses have said for quite some time
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  Speaker 2: that attracting workers is going to be one of their
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  Speaker 2: main issues. So we put together that twelve point eight
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  Speaker 2: million dollar package quite some while time ago. Even work
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  Speaker 2: stay playing things like that that we ran last year
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  Speaker 2: that attracted eight hundred workers to the territory to help out.
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  Speaker 2: But this is a broader package and an attraction campaign
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  Speaker 2: that will run in the state and globally to make
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  Speaker 2: sure that people are aware of what's going on in
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  Speaker 2: the territory, what opportunities there are in the territorial. Obviously,
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  Speaker 2: always train as many territories as we can and get
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  Speaker 2: them into those roles. But to reach in the state
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  Speaker 2: and overseas and assist people with that advertising, and to
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  Speaker 2: do that online and however they need to do it,
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  Speaker 2: we're more than happy to help with all of that. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: the territories going game buses. We want to get as
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  Speaker 2: many works as here as we can.
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  Speaker 1: Oh absolutely, And I think that is the thing at
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  Speaker 1: the moment that we're saying, aren't we That there does
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  Speaker 1: seem to be a shortage of staff across a lot
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  Speaker 1: of different sectors. But as you said, they're around eight
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  Speaker 1: hundred have been employed under other Northern Territory government initiatives.
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  Speaker 1: Is that correct?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, certainly that was the workstay play we kicked off
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  Speaker 2: last year and their initiatives that people don't hear in
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  Speaker 2: the general public too much. We're working really closely with
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  Speaker 2: their industry industry bodies and with our peak bodies. But
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  Speaker 2: because most of this advertising goes on in the state.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's just important that the general public understand.
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  Speaker 2: They'll hear about these worker shortages. They know that it's
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  Speaker 2: a problem here, it's also a problem in the state
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  Speaker 2: and overseas, but that we are doing things about it
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  Speaker 2: and networking on workforce funds and things like that, and
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  Speaker 2: attraction opportunities is something that we're putting a lot of
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  Speaker 2: time and effort and finding into.
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  Speaker 1: And so with this campaign that we're talking about today,
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  Speaker 1: is there any sort of additional funding or additional grants
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  Speaker 1: that can be obtained in an effort to try and
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  Speaker 1: get people here. Is it more about just trying to
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  Speaker 1: sell ourselves through the marketing.
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  Speaker 2: Combination of all that, Katie, so doubling down in areas
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  Speaker 2: where we do have good tourism markets in the state
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  Speaker 2: and overseas to make sure that people that are already
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  Speaker 2: aware of the territory know what the opportunities are here.
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  Speaker 2: But also we've put together a three million dollar package
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  Speaker 2: of grants up to two hundred thousand dollars either for
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  Speaker 2: a peak body like the Chamber of Commerce or somebody
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  Speaker 2: else that puts together an attraction opportunity for people and
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  Speaker 2: if it involves more training or visa applications or whatever
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  Speaker 2: it might be to help step through those necessities and
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  Speaker 2: get as many people here as we can. Or it
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  Speaker 2: might be an individual business that's got an idea. I
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  Speaker 2: guess what I would say to your listeners is you've
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  Speaker 2: got any ideas about things that you want to do,
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  Speaker 2: just come forward, reach out to a small business champion,
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  Speaker 2: or to our office or to the department, and will
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  Speaker 2: certainly get in touch and help you out.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, I know that you're very pressed for time. Just
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  Speaker 1: a very quick one. Where are they all going to live?
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  Speaker 2: Where are they all going to live? Yeah, certainly we
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  Speaker 2: know that housing is an issue, and it's something that
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  Speaker 2: we will continue to work closely with the industry players
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  Speaker 2: that build those houses. We're obviously doing a range of
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  Speaker 2: work in a public checktor spaces and getting as many
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  Speaker 2: of those houses cleaned up and back on the market
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  Speaker 2: as we possibly can. But yeah, certainly something that will
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  Speaker 2: continue to work pretty hard on. And it was interesting
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  Speaker 2: that on the national hookups that I have and when
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  Speaker 2: we're talking about skills and training, we've been the no
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  Speaker 2: kind of the federal Minister and I am going down
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  Speaker 2: to the job Summit in a few weeks time. But
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  Speaker 2: the Queensland people said, yep, we're in the same position
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  Speaker 2: that we've got all attract workers and we haven't got
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  Speaker 2: enough space for them to live. So it's a problem
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  Speaker 2: right around in the nation at the moment.
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  Speaker 1: What about Howard Springs Can we utilize it?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know. It's something that has been kicked
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  Speaker 2: around before. We know that it was off the table
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  Speaker 2: for a long time with COVID. Now that we know
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  Speaker 2: that it's going to be back on the table, whether
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  Speaker 2: that's an opportunity or something that we might be able
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  Speaker 2: to take up for short term accommodation, there are all
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  Speaker 2: sorts of ideas that will continue to talk about and
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  Speaker 2: see what we can put in the mix with industry
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  Speaker 2: to get as many people here as we can. We'll
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  Speaker 2: do some over these trips in the team or in
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  Speaker 2: Indonesia and make sure that always workers from there know
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  Speaker 2: what opportunities are available here as well.
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  Speaker 1: Well. Paul Kirby, we know that you are very pressed
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  Speaker 1: for time this morning. We appreciate you having a very
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  Speaker 1: quick chat with us. Thanks so much.
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  Speaker 2: I appreciate your time. Thanks, thank you.